William Gordon Snyder

We are deeply saddened to share the passing of our beloved husband and father, William Gordon Snyder. Gordon passed peacefully on March 19, 2026, with his wife, Laurie, by his side, after a brief illness.

Gordon was born on December 9, 1946, in Englewood, New Jersey. He grew up with a love of sports and played baseball with his brother, Paul, in grade school and junior high. He attended River Dell High School and picked up playing more sports - soccer, hockey, tennis, and track. Gordon went on to play soccer (Captain), lacrosse, and run track at Duke University, where he studied Mathematics.

While working at the National Security Agency (NSA) as a cryptomathematician and programmer analyst, he earned his Master’s Degree in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics from Johns Hopkins University at night. This was the Vietnam War era, and the NSA declared no more job deferments and wanted employees to volunteer or take their chances with the draft; Gordon applied to volunteer for the Army.

Gordon served as a commissioned officer, a Captain, in the U.S. Army stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, where he managed an application development group for US Army Europe. During these three years, he formed lifelong friendships and became an expert skier.

After the Army, Gordon built a distinguished career, including many years at IBM holding a variety of sales, large systems product management, executive briefing, and multiple levels of business unit leadership positions. He spent 18 years at American Century Investments, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, responsible for all aspects of marketing, sales, and service for the enterprise. He also served as a member of American Century’s Executive Committee and the Board of Directors for the management and holding company, American Century Companies. One of his favorite perks at American Century Investments was serving as master of ceremonies for the ACI Celebrity Golf Championship in Tahoe, NV each July. His favorite CGC memories include playing golf with Michael Jordan, and having Jay Leno ride his Harley Davidson motorcycle (flown in) up onto the stage in the large celebrity outdoor dinner tent.

Above all, Gordon was a devoted husband, proud father, and adoring Papa. He absolutely adored his loving wife, Laurie. He always held her hand when they walked - always! And he always gave her flowers. They were inspirational together and a great team; together, they were an incredible role model for partnership and relationship goals to the younger kids.

He was described by his children as their rock, a teddy bear, and a hero. We admired him for his deep thoughtfulness—he was someone who truly considered others, always willing to help, and inclined to see the best in people. He was an excellent coach, both on and off the field. Whether offering advice, encouragement, or a well-timed one-liner, Gordon always showed up for the people in his life. He was clever, quick-witted, and never afraid of a little shock value.

He is survived by his wife, Laurie; his children, Sean, Parrish (Karen), Wil, Jordan (Shan), Mady; his grandchildren who brought him such joy, Talia, Yoni, Josh, Delia, Isabel, Claire, Connor, and Calvin, and he is reunited with his daughter, Kirsten. We will deeply miss his humor, generosity, and presence, and most especially his guidance, his perspective, and his uncanny ability to make us laugh—sometimes at exactly the wrong moment.

We know he touched your lives too. Please share stories and memories on the funeral home website johnsoncountychapel.com and/or leave a message for the family.

It was Gordon’s wish that his family would have a small celebration of life in Breckenridge, CO (on his favorite mountain).

The best way to honor his memory is to keep telling the stories of the joy he brought you. In lieu of flowers, Gordon would want donations to be made to the Melanoma Research Foundation ( melanoma.org )

To view a photo montage created by the family, please click here.